South Africa to Santa Barbara Day 28: Once Every Four Years - Olympics vs. World Cup?

Jul 08, 2010

The Summer Olympics and the World Cup are huge events, but
which is better?

July 8, 2010

Follow the 2010 World Cup with the UCSB men's and women's
soccer programs all tournament long on UCSBgauchos.com. "South
Africa to Santa Barbara: The Cup is Coming" will provide daily
commentary on the day's biggest storylines, featuring video
interviews with Gaucho soccer players and head coaches Tim Vom
Steeg and Paul Stumpf.

There are two great events that bequeath the sporting world and
they don't come around very often - just every four years - making
their appearance that much more meaningful.

Both can fill a person with incredible amounts of national pride
and give folks a stand-up-and-cheer moment in a sport they normally
don't follow religiously.

The World Cup and the Olympics.

Swimming fans aside, Jason Lezak (a Gaucho, no less) gave the
United States a jump out of your seat moment when he rallied to
defeat Frenchmen Alain Bernard in the 400 freestyle relay and help
Michael Phelps make Olympic history.

The U.S.-Ghana game in the Round of 16 drew a better television
rating than all but two games of last year's World Series and all
but one game - the seventh - of the NBA Finals this season which
featured one of the NBA's best rivalries.

So, is one better than the other?

It's difficult to say because they encompass two completely
different things.

As UCSB women's head coach Paul Stumpf points out, only 32 teams
get a chance to play in the World Cup. That only 32 countries are
represented means that those teams are the best the world has to
offer.

Yet, in the Olympics, more countries can be represented through
numerous sports, causing a sense of national pride to come forth in
various ways.

Ask an average American which they prefer and the answer would
likely be the Summer Olympics. But, ask an average person in most
every other country and the response is likely to be the World Cup.
Difference of opinion? Kinda. Difference of culture?
Absolutely.

Seeing an American win a gold medal and hearing the Star
Spangled Banner is an incredible, goose bump feeling. It draws a
huge amount of satisfaction for the winner and the countrymen
watching at home.

What hurts the Olympics is that NBC plays the main events on a
tape delay. The World Cup is shown live so people rise at 4 a.m. to
catch a match. When's the last time you set an alarm hours before
work to watch the equestrian event?

However, if you really want to know what fans prefer, all you'd
have to do is check out all the public squares across the world
that televised a game and seen the scene. Massive amounts of people
crowding in one area and living and dying with each shot or missed
opportunity. The celebrations were euphoric when a team won,
thousands of fans dancing in the streets and partying with perfect
strangers.

That right there, doesn't happen in the Olympics.

--

Season tickets start at just $75 and include one ticket to all
home men's and women's regular season games and one College Cup All Session Pass. UCSB staff and faculty
can purchase their season tickets for a reduced rate of $50.